Electric signaling system.



A. H. BULL.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25.1910.

1,155,547. Pnd 001. 5, 1915.

AIIIIIIIIMIIIIII* `IIIIIIII COLUMBIA PLANDCIRAPH Co.,WAsI-IINC\TON. D. c.

ANDERS H. BULL, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent..

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application led June 25, 1910. Serial No. 568,781.

of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to an electric` signaling system which is so constructed that a number of receivers, all connected to the same conductors, may be called selectively from one transmitting station. This is accomplished by using series of current im pulses for operating the receivers and adjusting each individual receiver to a distinct combination of impulses.

A certain number of the impulses constituting a series are produced in a fixed order, the time intervals between them being the same in all series. These impulses will be referred to in the following as regular impulses. The remaining impulses, referred to as special impulses, are produced so as to follow directly upon some of the regular impulses.

According to the number of special impulses contained in a series, and the way they are arranged relative to the regular impulses, the form of the resulting series will be different. By varying the number and positions of the special impulses it is thus possible to produce series of various forms, the number of attainable forms increasing rapidly with the number of regular impulses used in the series.

Each individual receiver is made torespond to such special impulses only as are arrangedl in a distinct way, and by producing series of different forms it is thus possible to send signals selectively to the different receivers.

Figure 1 shows, diagrammatically, a number of different forms of series, each made up of six regular impulses, indicated by light cross strokes on a horizontal line, representing time, the special impulses being indicated by heavy cross strokes. Fig. 2 shows a transmitter connected to several receivers, A, B, C, the last one of which is shown in alarger scale. Fig.` 3 shows in a diagrammatic waythe inside arrangement of the transmitter and Fig. 4 the inside arrangement of a receiver. Fig. 5 is an end viewV of' a receiver.

In the transmitter shown at the top of Fig. 2 a contact brush 6 is supported by an arm 7 secured to the spindle 8. By throwing a lever 9 (Fig. 3) to the right, a pawl 10 pivoted to said lever will engage a tooth on a ratchet wheel 11, which is geared to the spindle 8 through several gear wheels 12, as shown in Fig. 3. Upon releasing the lever 9, a spring 13 attached to an arm 13 secured to the spindle 9 of the lever 9 will return the lever to its first position (Fig. 3), in which it is stopped by a pin 14. Thereby the arm 7 on spindle 8 has received one complete revolution, its speed being retarded and controlled by the vane 15, shown in Fig. 3.

A curved bar 16 is provided with projections A,B,C, F, forming contact pieces. Other contact pieces G, H, I, M may be connected to the bar 16 by means of pegs 17. In the diagram according to Fig. 2 connections are thus made for the contact pieces G, M. The bar 16 is connected to one pole of the battery 18. The other pole and the brush 6 are connected to the line wires 19 and 20 respectively. During the revolution of the arm 7 the brush 6 will ride over the contact pieces, and a series of impulses will be sent over the line wires, the impulses produced by the projections A, B, C, etc., constituting the regular impulses of the series. The series thus produced is represented by 1 in Fig. 1.

In the receiver, as shown at the bottom of Fig. 2, a ratchet disk 21 is connected to a clock-work 22 (Fig. 4). which is wound by means of a key 23. The disk 21 has, therefore, the tendency to rotate, but its rotation is normally prevented by a pawl24, engaging one of the teeth on the disk. Vhen, however, the electromagnet 25 is en* ergized by a current flowing through the line wires 19, 20, the pawl is withdrawn, permitting the disk 21 to rotate. Similarly as in the transmitter, the speed of the disk 21 is retarded bya vane`26, which is so adjusted that the disk will turn an angle corresponding to the distance between two of its teeth in slightly less time than it will take the brush 6 in the transmitter to cover the distance between two of the projections A, B, C, etc.

The magnet 25 is connected through the line wires 19, 20 with the transmitter and when a series of impulses is sent from the latter, the first regular impulse will release the disk 21. Before the neXt regular impulse Vzo is sent, the disk has been stopped by the pawl 24. By the new impulse it is again released, and this operation -is repeated for every regular impulse, so that, when the arm 7 has completed its revolution,

the disk 21 will also have made one complete c revolution, the number of teeth on the disk corresponding to the number of projections on the bar 16. While the regular impulses of the series will thus start the disk 21, the special impulses are produced while said disk is rotating.

Above the disk 21 is loosely mounted on the same spindle a smaller disk 27 having a lug 28 which is pivotally connected through the rod 29 with a link 80. The other end of the latter is pivoted to thedisk 21 and is rigidly connected to another link 31. Under the influence ofa leaf spring 33, bearing against the link 30, the smaller disk 27 tends to turn counter clock-wise relative to the disk 21, being, however, prevented from doing so` by a number of hooks 34. These hooks hinge on pivots put through holes 41 in the disk 27, their free ends engaging pins 35 on the disk 21. The hooks are pressed slightly against their pins by springs42 attached to the disk 21. The distance of the pins 35 from the center of the disk is gradually decreasing, as shown exaggerated, so that only one hook will engage its pin at a time. By disen'gaging one hook after the other from its pin, starting with the hook shown nethermost in the diagram and finishing with the uppermost one, the disk 27 is released. The stepwise arrangement of the pins prevents the hooks that have been first disengaged from engaging their pins again.

1n receiver' C, the hooks are so arranged that their free ends will pass the point of a trigger 36, shortly after the disk 21 has been releasedby the first, third and sixth regular impulse, and while the transmitter brush 6 is riding over the contact pieces G, 1, M. When the armature of the magnet is attracted, the trigger is pushed toward the center of the disk, in which position it will disengage any hook passing by, because the disk 21 will keep on rotating while the end of the hook is caught by the trigger.

With none of the contact pieces Gr, 1-1, 1, etc., connected to the bar 16 in the transmitter, the armature of the receiver magnet, after having released the disk 21, will be returned to its original position by the spring 37 before the hooks 34 reach the trigger 36, and theyv will, therefore, pass cleanof it. If, however, the contact pieces G, 1, M are connected to the bar, as shown in the top view of Fig. 2, the rst, third* and sixth of the regular impulses are followed by a special impulse, and when, in receiver C, the hooks 34 pass the trigger 36 the arma ture will again` have been attracted. The-trigger will, therefore, disengage the hooks, thereby releasing the disk 27, which will turn relative to the larger disk, until the link 80 strikes the pin 38 on disk 21. By this movement the right hand end of the rod 29 is pushed out beyond the edge of the disk 21,

in which position it will, during the further Y rotation of said disk, strike one end of a switch 39, throwing it over and thereby closing a bell circuit. Before the revolution of disk 21 is completed, the free end of the link B1 will strike a pin 40, fixed in the casing,

whereby thefdisk 27 is returned to its former position relative to disk `21, in which position it will be again arrested by the hooks. A series of impulses as indicated in line 1, Fig. 1 will thus start the bell of receiver C ringing. A series` as indicated in line; 2 ofFig.

1 wouldhave no such effect, for although the first and second of the special impulses have the same position as in therst series, the

third special impulse has a dii'erent position, and while, therefore, two hooks will be disengaged, the third will pass clear of the trigger, and the disk 217 willf not be released. Vhile receiver C isthus adjustedto series No. 1 it may easily be adjusted to other series by changing the arrangement of. the

hooks 34. 1f, forY instance, the hookv shown y f uppermost in the diagram is shifted te the one neXt below of the holes 41, the other hooks being left in the positions shown, then a hook would pass the trigger upon the first,

receiver would `thus be adjusted, to series No. 2. On the other hand itis obvious that the receiverl C, if adjusted as shown, will respend to any seriesV of' impulses, i-nwhich: the

'third and fifth release ofthe disk 21,. and the first, third and siXthreg'u-lar impulseV is fol- I lowed by a special impulse,no rmatter whether the series in question contains other specialy impulses, as the latter will vhave no effect and, therefore, will not interfereY with the action of the three special impulsesv iirst l mentioned. This 'circumstancerenders, it possible `to call several receivers at the same time, which is often` desirable. Thus a receiver adjusted tov series 2 may be called simultaneously with the receiver C,.by connecting to the'ba-r 116 in theetransmitter the contact pieces G, 1, L, M, they resulting series being represented by line 4 in Fig. 1. The

Vnumber of contact pieces shown in the trans- I claim:

l. The combination with a. line circuit, and a source of electric current, of a transmitter having means for producing a number of current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a further impulse, said impulses being of any polarity, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including signal operating means, a movable member operable by said impulses, selective means adapted to be positioned to engage said movable member for controlling said signal operating means, means also operable by impulses for controlling the position of said selective means relative to said movable member, the effect of said movable member upon said signal operating means depending on the position of said selective means at the time of operation of said movable member, and a signal controlled by said signal operating means.

2. A selectivesignaling system including a line circuit, a source of electric current, a transmitter having means for producing a number of current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a further impulse, said impulses being of any polarity, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including signal controlling means, selective means controlling the operation of said signal controlling means, impulse operated means associated with said selective means and controlling the position thereof, an impulse controlled member adapted to coperate with said selective means during certain prearranged positions, thereby causing said signal controlling means to be operated, and signaling means responding to a given nurnber or" operations of said signal controlling means.

3. A selective signaling system including a line circuit, a source of electric current, a transmitter having means for producing a number of current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a further impulse, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including a driven member, means operable by impulses for controlling the movement of said member, a second member having a plurality of connections With said driven member, a second means also operable by impulses for releasing said connections, said connections changing their position relative to said second means during the movement of said driven member, being releasable in distinct positions only, means for actuating said second member when all of said connections have been released, and signaling means controlled by said second member.

4. A selective signaling system including a line circuit, a source of electric current, a transmitter having means for producing a number of current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a further impulse, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including a drivenmember, means for arresting said member in different positions, said arresting 'means being releasable by impulses, retarding means permitting said member,

vWhen free to move, to change its position at a given rate, signal controlling means mov- Ying with said member, means operable by impulses for controlling said signal controlling means, the elfect of said impulse operated means upon said signal controlling means being dependent upon their relative positionso as to permit said signal controlling means to respond to current impulses produced While said driven .member is in certain given positions.

5. The combination With a line circuit and a source of electric current, of a transmitter having means for producing a number of regular current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a special impulse, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including a driven member, means releasable by impulses for arresting said member in different positions, retarding means permitting said member to change its position during a time period exceeding the duration of a special impulse, signal controlling means, selective means controlling said signal controlling means and moving with said driven member, a second means operable by impulses for controlling said selective means, said selective means being thus arranged relative to said second means as to be operable only While said driven member is moving from certain arrested positions to others, and a signal operable through said signal controlling means.

6. The combination With a line circuit and a source of electric current, of a transmitter having means for producing a number of current impulses and, after any of said impulses, a further impulse, a plurality of receivers, each receiver including a member automatically changing its position When released, means operable by im-I pulses for controlling the movement of said member, signal controlling means, means controlled by impulses for controlling the operation of said signal controlling means, said impulse controlled means being under control of said member so as to make the operation of said signal controlling means dependent on the position assumed by said member upon the latter being released, and signaling means responding to a given number of operations of said signal controlling means.

7 A selective signaling system including a line circuit, a source of electric current, al contact bar provided with a set of contact pieces regularly spaced apart, a second set of contact pieces, means for connecting electrically any of the latter contact pieces to said contact bar, a brush adapted to slide over both sets of Contact pieoes, a rotatable disk, a second disk rotating` with the first disk and adapted to be rotated relative to said first disk, means for normally preventing such relative rotation, asignal adapted to be operated through said second disk, a pawl for arresting the two disks, and electromagnet adapted to release said pawl on being energized by current impulses produced. by the first set of Contact pieces, a trigger operated by said electromagnet and y Copies of this patent may be obtained for adapted to release the means preventing the relative rotation of the two disks on the magnet being energized by current impulses produced by the second set of contact pieces. Y

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two witnesses. .s

ANDERS H VBULL.'

Witnesses:

ALFRED MLLER, LOUISE H. STAADEN. 

